Clyde Williams Stadium?

[woodie]

the west stadium was a dormitory for incoming jocks. the east stadium housed the football locker rooms,athletic training offices of warren flugge" putty butt "arail.the east stadium also had the wrestling room and lockers and also the gymnastics
room and lockers.harold nichols,sd gagnier(sp) ,and clay stapelton turned out some pretty good teams in the late 50's and 60's .

 

[cayin]

Clyde Williams held about 28,000 when I attended in the mid 70s. Football was pretty low-key back then. In fact, I was able to score a "press pass" to walk the sidelines and shoot photos for a black and white photography class I was taking (believe it was JLMC 318). Shot some photos (which I still have) of OU's Joe Washington (he was a stud who later played in the NFL) sport'n his silver cleats. As I recall the field was mowed fairly long and got watered several days the week prior to the game in an attempt to slow him down. If I'm remembering correctly (and I'd like to think I am), he still gained 200+ yards.

Kind of fun tradition had us tossing oranges onto the field when ISU scored its first TD (Big 8 champ received an automatic beth in the Orange Bowl). I rememer K-State players picking oranges off the field and throwing them back at the fans in the stands. Pretty crazy times. Then we moved into the new place and oranges, bottles, etc were banned. So was my "press pass."

Clyde Williams held 36,000 at that time.

 

[simply1]

Stumbled across this thread, it's a great one.

I say we add a railroad car in one of the grass areas.

 

[fanaticman]

I can safely say as a current student that everytime I look at picture of clyde williams I wish that it were still our stadium. renovations and additions over the years and we would actually have a very cool, respectable stadium, that would be a great home field advantage. not to mention the atmosphere that would be created by having the whole campus and campustown area tailgating and people walking around on game day.

 

[simply1]

I think it would definitely be less "sterile", that's for sure. Cozied up to campus like that really brings home the college feel, perfect setting. Imagine how it'd look on tv

 

[StPaulCyclone]

If I'm recalling correctly, the track wasn't removed until long after the stadium was gone - I used to run on it when I was an ISU student. At least I ran on an outdoor track behind state gym - whether that was the original or not, I don't know. I always assumed it was.

I lived in Helser my first year (early '90s) and the track and field were still there. It was still called CW field, IIRC. The seating was all gone and I would run on the track too. People were always on the field playing catch, etc. It is all gone now right? Heck, Helser is gone I believe.

Jones House!

 

[simply1]

I had to dump a beer on the field crossing it during Veishea one year, with a few friends, and 2 sneaky bicycle cops.

Of course now they might mace us and beat the crap out of us, hah.

Seeing the old photos really makes me nostalgic, and thinking about just playing pickup in state gym, etc.

Just liked to see a feel good thread after all of the recent trepidation, etc, gotta hang on to that great history.

 

[d30fan]

West stadium bordered the west edge of the campus, across the street from the Presbetarian Church. The original stadium seated around 18000. First expansion was the addition of about 10 rows of seating on the east side, adjacent to Helser. Opened around 1960. I think the seating was around 22000. I lived in Westgate Hall and could walk across the street to games. The west stadium and south endzone additions were after I graduated in 62. Alcohol was a capitol offense in those days. We used to inject oranges with vodka. Was hard to carry enough in to get much more than a buzz. You really were right on the field, and a lot of noise could be generated. People parked on the old ROTC drill fields, north of where the tennis courts are now I think. Tailgating was not yet invented.

 

[LindenCy]

I lived in Helser my first year (early '90s) and the track and field were still there. It was still called CW field, IIRC. The seating was all gone and I would run on the track too. People were always on the field playing catch, etc. It is all gone now right? Heck, Helser is gone I believe.

Jones House!

We used to play frisbee golf and tackle football there in the 90's. At least Clyde Williams Field was still around in some fashion.

 

[ICCLONEGAL]

I can remember going to Clyde. We walked down Lincoln Way and would walk through Friley Arch to get to the entrance for the students. Seating was 1st come and we would be lined up at the student entrance gate no later than 9am for a 1pm game. The gates would open at 11 or 11:30. You would be pushed into the entrance by the long line of students which made it easy to smuggle in alcohol.

The student section was the east side of the stadium. When the students would get to cheering and stomping up down the stadium would start to shake.

It was a great atmosphere for a college football game. Of course back then student season tickets for football and basketball were $10 a piece, with wrestling season tickets $5.

Parking was not very good, but most of the people would walk to the stadium.

Tailgating hadn't really started back then.

This

Plus my 2 favorite memories are:

Husker fan being bold (stupid) not going directly to his seat but parading around the track in front of the student section in his striped bibs and cowboy hat and getting bombarded by oranges. :biggrin:

Colorado buffalo, Ralphie, getting away from his handlers and running all over the field at everyone.

 

[IsUaClone2]

I was there between 62-66. We didn't have the south end closed in then. I also remember a game with Kansas when Cy (wore a huge suit then) went out to center field, squatted, and "pooped" a couple of chickens that had been dyed blue then chased them around. That didn't go over well.

Biggest star I saw play there was Gale Sayers. Our biggest star at that time was Tom Vaughn. Tim VanGelder was our quarterback and pitcher in baseball. We still played two-way football then. There were a lot of big changes by the time Johnny Majors came in. I was still in Iowa at the time, had season tickets and attended both the Sun Bowl and Liberty Bowl.

There was a big difference between the teams when I was there and the Majors-era teams. Of course a lot of that had to do with a published opinion that since we didn't have much money for the athletic budget in the early sixties that we would concentrate on what are now known as the Olympic sports rather than football and basketball. When Stapleton became the Athletic Director, that changed and "ouila" we tried to be normal and were successful.

 

[Bobber]

I was there between 62-66. We didn't have the south end closed in then. I also remember a game with Kansas when Cy (wore a huge suit then) went out to center field, squatted, and "pooped" a couple of chickens that had been dyed blue then chased them around. That didn't go over well.

Biggest star I saw play there was Gale Sayers. Our biggest star at that time was Tom Vaughn. Tim VanGelder was our quarterback and pitcher in baseball. We still played two-way football then. There were a lot of big changes by the time Johnny Majors came in. I was still in Iowa at the time, had season tickets and attended both the Sun Bowl and Liberty Bowl.

There was a big difference between the teams when I was there and the Majors-era teams. Of course a lot of that had to do with a published opinion that since we didn't have much money for the athletic budget in the early sixties that we would concentrate on what are now known as the Olympic sports rather than football and basketball. When Stapleton became the Athletic Director, that changed and "ouila" we tried to be normal and were successful.

Unfortunately that seems to have been a constant theme through much of ISU existence.:sad:

 

[Sevey]

I was in high school the latter years of Clyde Williams and would come to games and sit in the north bleachers (knot hole) for $1!

I think with some of the major investments planned, JTS will be pretty nice. However, I enjoy history and ISU football, so naturally I am intrigued by Clyde Williams field. Only knowing of going to ISU games at JTS, it has fascinated me since my parents mentioned that ISU games were once played across from where Taco Bell stands. I can barley remember what that area was like before the new dorms/parking lots, let alone a college football stadium. For those who can remember, what was it like going to games at Clyde Williams stadium? There is an appeal to an old, yet renovated, stadium right on campus. However, from pictures I can see how the new stadium/location was needed. Parking must have been problematic, and it seems they would have needed to close Sheldon to expand.
From the Ames Public Library :

 

[cdekovic]

I remember as a high school kid selling frosty malts in the student section on the coldest day of the season. All the students would holler out was "MIX MAN! SEND UP THE MIX MAN!!"

 

[clone26]

One more photo, from the Ames Historical Society. Pretty old, as the stadium is small, and most of the campus and Ames had yet to be developed.

Wow, do you have a year on this photo? I lived in the white house with 4 pillars just west of Sheldon on West Street from 05-07 and I see it's in this photo.

 

[CrossCyed]

I'm guessing 1926 judging by the image title.

 

[Cyclone90]

Ya, Friley Hall, originally Hughes Hall on the far southwest end, was building 1927. Friley's not there, nor is much else.

FRILEY HALL, ISC

 

[yCy]

This

Plus my 2 favorite memories are:

Husker fan being bold (stupid) not going directly to his seat but parading around the track in front of the student section in his striped bibs and cowboy hat and getting bombarded by oranges. :biggrin:

Colorado buffalo, Ralphie, getting away from his handlers and running all over the field at everyone.

I was at both of those games. Great memories! :yes:

 

[cyclones500]

1935 aerial photo from the Historical Society exhibit. Baseball diamond where Helser now stands.

That pic blows my mind.

 

[cyclones500]

This thread rocks.

Reading stories from people who went to games at Clyde Williams is cool.

It was gone by the time I got to college, but I remember when it was still there -- my sister's freshman year (would've been '76). So they had just started playing at Cyclone Stadium (was that in '75?) ... she lived in RCA, but my parents & I went with her to pick up her friend in Friley.

So we drove past it in that loop, or maybe we also walked past it. I remember her saying "There's the old stadium."

Wish I hadn't taken that moment for granted.

I didn't think about that until I got to ISU, and thinking it was weird that the track was there, but no stadium. The space almost seemed too small to have held a stadium, but also seemed like a vast emptiness.

Had I seen attended games there, I bet you could still hear the echoes.